What is Lost
by MrChuckMan9611
Summary: When the 439 Mountain area is mysteriously bombed in the middle of the night, Gohan sets out to find the person responsible.
1. Chapter 1

When the 439 Mountain area is mysteriously bombed in the middle of the night, Gohan sets out to find the person responsible.

A/N- Normally I wouldn't have written this. It's an idea that I've been pondering for a couple days, but didn't have any real motivation to write it. That was before my internet died. While it was only out for a day before I figured out how to fix it, that 24 hours gave me an opportunity to give writing a shot. After getting 1200 words into the story, I got invested enough to finish the chapter. I'm not sure if I'll continue the story, but at least I can say I gave it a shot.

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

22:55 Friday - Somewhere above the 437 Rolling Hills Area

"This is Crimson-Leader, we are almost in the drop zone. ETA: 2 Minutes. Copy?" A loud voice calls out over the com channel.

"_Crimson-Leader this is command, we copy. Continue as planned. Over" A gruff voice responded._

"You heard 'em. Let's deliver the package. Then we can make it home just in time for dinner." Said Crimson-Leader.

"_Let's just get this over with. It's starting to get stuffy in here." Crimson-two responded._

"_No kidding. If it were up to me, we would just do away with these damn windows all together." Crimson-three decides to voice her opinion._

"Okay _kids_, enough with the chatter. We are almost to the delivery point. Prepare to make the drop." Crimson-Leader commands.

"_Roger that Leader" Crimson-two and three obey._

"_Drop zone in 1000ft"_

"_800"_

"_600"_

"_400"_

"_Release on my mark."_

"MARK!" Crimson leader yells as he releases his payload on the unsuspecting target below. An action immediately followed by crimson two and three.

As the package is descending to the target below, the three pilots accelerated their craft to the speed needed to be out of range of the oncoming blast.

* * *

22:56 – 439 Mountain Area - the Son household

Within the Son household, its residents were unknowingly living out the last minute of their lives.

Goten was sleeping peacefully dreaming about whatever a 7 year old dreams of.

Chi-Chi was at her desk, writing the book for her popular series, "A guide to dealing with children." A fictional story about a woman raising two alien children, one with a troubled childhood, the other never knowing his father.

She had started the series seven years ago when her husband had died, her son was in a depression, and it was found that she was pregnant. She figured that even if people were to read it for enjoyment, it would be an outlet to get things off her chest.

Right now she was writing up on her latest plan to deal with her training obsessive son. Due to his lack of social skills, she had recently enrolled him into high school. He had started a week ago, and it was already showing results.

_He has only been going to school for a week, and has already found himself a girlfriend, no matter how much he tries to deny it! I might get to see great grandchildren yet! _Was her last thought as her home was bombarded with a force that could eradicate small country.

* * *

23:00 – back with the pilots

"Mission control, this is Crimson-Leader, the package has been delivered. Detonation confirmed. Crimson is returning to base." Was the final transmission as radio silence was initiated.

Meanwhile in a dark room, a figure is illuminated by a series of monitors. "Well done Crimson." The figure then gets up and leaves the room.

* * *

8:30 Saturday – Capsule Corporation – Gohan

Currently eating breakfast in the CC staff lounge, Gohan hears a group of scientists chatting about the news.

"The media is saying that the crater just mysteriously formed overnight." Dr. River said.

"I would love to be down there, it sounds like an exciting mystery to solve." Dr. Grey responded.

"You're right about that. An entire area turning into a wasteland overnight? Unreal!" Dr. Martinez chirped in. Gohan's interest being peaked decided to join the conversation.

"What are you guys talking about? Are you saying that an area of the map just disappeared?" Gohan asked.

"You haven't heard yet?" Dr. River asks. Gohan shakes his head. "The media is going crazy! A mountain Area a few hundred Miles east of here was turned into a giant crater! Nobody knows what happened. That area was the completely isolated from the rest of the world. No witnesses. The only reason it was found, is because of a satellite network we finished years ago."

"So what theories have you guys come up with?" Gohan inquires.

"We haven't had much time to think it over, what with all that research on Ki we did last night; however, if I had to list some possible scenarios, I would say that it could have been a meteorite that got through our long range sensors." Dr. Martinez suggested.

"But isn't that supposed to be impossible? And even if it were possible, it would take an object the size of a baseball moving 1/1000th the speed of light to do what you're suggesting. Not to mention that it would have to survive atmospheric entry." Gohan argued.

"Yes, that is correct. Which is why that my least likely scenario." Dr. Martinez agreed then continued "My next idea is that it could have been a military weapons test. I know that the military has gone away from conventional weaponry a couple years ago, instead using the latest in laser round technology. Based on the media presence in the area, it is apparent that if an energy based attack was used, it was stable."

"Because of the lack of radiation, correct?" Gohan confirms, to which Dr. Martinez nods.

"Yes. If the crater was the result of one of the military's laser warheads, even if it was experimental there would still be enough radiation to warrant a full body suit. The technology of the military isn't at the stage where it can eliminate instability. As you already know, this is the reason why we are so interested in KI. It is the only clean, efficient, energy source known to man. Nothing gets wasted, unlike solar power, where we can't even harness a micro-fraction of the sun's energy. If it were clean energy, it would have come from out lab, and we aren't anywhere close to creating anything practical."

"Excuse me Dr. Martinez, before you continue, is there any possibility that this could have been the result of a spacecraft or other satellite crashing into the area. Much like the arrival of the alien invaders 13 years ago?" Dr. River questioned.

"It's unlikely. As Mr. Son stated earlier, anything coming from outside of the atmosphere would have been detected by our long range sensors. There is no possibility that it could have been a ship using stealth technology either. Ever since the universal information exchange was founded by the Namekians, there has been no known stealth technology that has worked in space and not been effected by the constant background radiation. Our sensors would have detected any anomalies." Dr. Grey answered.

"Right. This means that whatever formed that crated originated on earth." Dr. Martinez summarized. "My next theory, is actually a natural event. When the magma pockets under a volcano empties, there is a chance that the empty space can collapse in on itself. If there were a large enough cavern under the mountain range, the same could apply in this incident."

"Based on the video, I don't think that theory is very likely. If the ground were to simply collapse in on a cavern, there would be some evidence of what was there before. There would be more greenery, and the landscape would somewhat reflect what was there before." Dr. Grey argued.

"I agree. If the answer were that simple, the game would be no fun." Dr. Martinez responded. "Those were the only theories that I could think of off the top of my head. Maybe by the time we are done with the KI research, another lab will have an answer for us to review."

"We can only hope." Gohan concluded "Now then. Who wants to figure out clean energy?"

* * *

18:00 – Capsule Corporation

"Man that was a long day." Gohan yawned.

"Agreed." Moaned his fellow scientists.

"So. What area was it that disappeared anyways?" Gohan asked "I might have to drop by there on my way home."

"Oh? You live far enough away to simply drop by the 439 Mountain area? I doubt it!" Dr. River said with a smug smirk.

To which Gohan responded, "How did you know my family lives in the 439 Mountain Area?" Completely wiping the smirk off of the young doctor's face, replacing it with a nervous sweat.

"You're kidding right?"

"No. Why would I be? You've seen what I can do. Is it so ridiculous that I can fly at upwards 2000 miles/ hour?" Gohan confusedly replies.

Meanwhile Dr. Martinez was overclocking his suddenly alert brain, processing possible scenarios to break it to Gohan that his home was gone and his family likely dead. While it was hard for him to believe they were dead, there were more pressing matters to focus on at the moment. Telling Gohan. However, before he had any more time to think about it, Dr. Grey had already beat him to the punch.

"Gohan." The Elderly Dr. Grey said in a calm voice. "The area we were debating about during breakfast this morning. The mysterious crater. That was the 439 area. That was your home."

When these words were spoken, Gohan froze. He couldn't move. His brain trying to process what was happening.

_It can't be true._

_I refuse to believe that it's true._

_Goten isn't dead._

_Mom isn't dead._

_It's not true._

_It's not true. _

_IT'S NOT TRUE!_

_THEIR NOT DEAD!_

_THEY CAN'T BE DEAD!_

With a sharp pain in the back of his neck, Gohan's limp unconscious form falls to the ground.

"Take him to his room." Vegeta said to Dr. River with authority that left no room for argument.

Dr. River nodded, picking up Gohan and leaving the room.

Vegeta then left the room, going towards where Bulma's KI was located.

* * *

18:20 – Bulma's lab

"Have you found anything?" Vegeta asked.

"Nothing yet." Bulma responded "I just can't figure it out. Every KI user we know of has disappeared, and there homes have been replaced with a crater. The kame island is gone. Tien's mountain is gone. The 439 area was wiped out. Piccolo's forest is gone. Yamcha's apartment building was blown up. The only connection is that all of them used KI. But if that were the reason, then why are we still here? Why didn't capsule corp. get blown to smithereens too? It doesn't make since!"

"You should stop for the night. You aren't getting anywhere and the longer you're at it, the worse it's going to get." Vegeta reasoned. "Get some dinner and go to bed."

"I will. But not yet. I have to figure out something. Anything! They're all DEAD! I refuse to give up without finding out something. I owe them that much." Bulma spoke, on the verge of tears. "I'm one of the greatest minds in the world. Second only to my father. I should be able to figure this out!"

She was openly crying now. Walking over to her, Vegeta wrapped his arms around her and spoke. "It's going to be okay. You will solve this much faster if you just stop now, and come back later with a fresh mind." Vegeta soothed.

Bulma's only response was a single nod of her head.

* * *

7:59 Monday – Gohan's room, Capsule Corp.

_They're really dead. _Gohan thought as he stared at the ceiling.

"GOOD MORNING BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF WEST CITY! IT'S 8:00 AND TIME TO WAKE UP FOR ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY! FOR TODAY'S WEATHER, IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER RAINY DAY! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, JUST LIKE YESTERDAY…" Gohan turned off the radio alarm and stared at the rain outside the window.

_That's right, today's Monday. I better get ready to go. _ Gohan thought with a blank mind. He had spent all of yesterday in his room. When he wasn't crying his broken heart out into his pillow, he was going over what-if scenarios. (What if I didn't spend the weekend at capsule corp. What if I could have stopped their deaths by being there when they died? Would I have been able to do anything? Etc.)

Gohan had worked out yesterday that he would find out how his family and friends had perished. When he woke up the previous morning, he had learned that the media found several more locations where craters had appeared. Namely the locations of all the Z fighters. Learning this should have been the final blow to his sanity. But he decided that he doesn't want to break. He wants to break who or whatever is responsible for killing his loved ones. He wants them dead.

Getting up, Gohan packs a small bag with some clothes and supplies he thinks could be useful for the trip. A capsule house, two orange GIs, a bag of senzu beans, and some basic toiletries.

He makes the bed and leaves the room. He walks down the hallway with a purpose towards the staircase. Proceeding down the stairs, he arrives on the main level of the building. He starts toward the exit. When he is halfway there, he passes the staff lounge and hears his colleagues speaking about various theories to improve the KI research. Not wanting to leave without saying anything, Gohan opens the door and walks into the room.

"Hey, if it isn't Gohan! We were just going through some possible improvements that we could make to the…" Dr. River starts, but is cut off by Gohan.

"Sorry James. I'm not going to be able to continue working on the project for a while. I'm going away for a few months. Maybe you can ask Vegeta to help with your experiments." Gohan speaks with certainty.

"I see. You're going after the people responsible for the attacks on your friends. Correct?" Dr. Grey states.

"How do you know that someone is responsible?" Gohan asks.

"Simple. The circumstances don't allow for any other alternatives." Dr. Grey begins to answer "Anyone with two ears on their head could have heard your grief yesterday. And it is no small coincidence that all of your friends were killed by the same mysterious force at the same time."

"I see." Says Gohan "In that case, I'll be off. Good luck with the project." Gohan turned to leave, but stopped when a voice called out to him.

"Gohan" it was Dr. Martinez. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. Whoever is responsible for this, has already killed the strongest fighters on the planet. These people you're going after are dangerous. I want you to promise me that if a situation looks bad, get out before you get hurt. Earth doesn't need to lose another one of its heroes."

Gohan looked Dr. Martinez straight in the eye, and nodded his head once. He then walked out of the room and left the Capsule Corp. premises.

* * *

9:00 – Orange Star High school

When Videl entered the classroom, she was excited to have another battle of wills. Her target? Son Gohan. _I know that he's hiding something. I'm sure if I can just keep the pressure on him for a couple more weeks, he'll have no choice but to give in and tell me. Too many things just don't match up. How can person do the things he does. He has to travel 500 miles every day just to get to school. He was able to jump over 20 feet in the air just to catch a baseball. He is able to withstand my glare for a full hour before giving in to my demands. Even dad would give in after only half a minute of that glare. Something just doesn't add up. _

Walking up to her seat, she hears Erasa gossiping with some of her friends in the front row.

"Did you hear about those craters that appeared all over the place?" Nikki exclaims in an over exaggerated tone.

"Like yeah! They appeared in only the most remote places in the world! The media said that they just appeared overnight on the CC satellite network." Sidney said in an identical tone to her bubbly friend. Videl scoffs at any mention of the media. _I wish they would just leave me alone._

"No way! How big did they say these craters were? If their big enough to show up on satellite, they must be the size of large city!" Erasa spoke with the same bubbly tone.

"They're actually all different sizes. The smallest one was in the 132 Forest Area and it's only the size of one of the mountains. While the largest completely destroyed the 439 Mountain Area!" Nikki answered. Videl momentarily froze. _439? Isn't that where Gohan said that he lives in? I wonder what happened. I'll have to add that to my list of inter… friendly questions to ask him._

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

"Alright class take your seats, as I call attendance." Mr. Ruler addressed the class.

…

"Maddison"

"Here sir"

"Osborn"

"Yo"

"Peterson"

"Up here Teach"

"Rubber"

"I'm. Like. Right here!"

"Satan"

"Present"

"Son"

"…"

"Son"

"…"

"What a shame. It appears that my only student with half a brain has decided to begin skipping class after only a week. And here I thought he had some potential." Mr. Ruler said sadly

_Huh! Gohan's gone! NO! How will I be able to question him when he isn't here! _Videl frantically thought to herself. _I cannot allow this! He needs to answer my questions! I have a schedule to keep! _"Sir! I would like to request an assignment!" Videl yelled out in the heat of the moment, her arm moving into a perfect salute.

Seeing such a perfect salute, Mr. Ruler's mind shifted from teacher to commanding officer in an instant. During the war over 40 years ago, he had lead a unit to hell and back without a single casualty.

"Cadet! What is the nature of your assignment?" His voice boomed, scarring some students out of their seats.

"Sir! I would like to track the location of Son Gohan, Senior of Orange Star High, and once found interrogate him for information! Sir!" Videl yelled to her Command Officer.

"Cadet! Based on your performance in the field, I trust that this request has no ill intention! YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN GRANTED!" the Warrant officer shouted!

"Sir! Thank you! Sir! I will depart immediately! Sir!" Videl's shout echoed through the room. Quickly followed by the door slamming shut, signaling her departure.

Upon hearing his classroom door slam shut, Mr. Ruler shifter back into the teacher he truly is.

"What just happened?" he asked his still disorientated students

"…" was the only response he was given.

* * *

A/N

So there's chapter one. Like I said above, I don't know if I will continue this story or not. If I do, I have some ideas mapped out, so rest assured that it won't be without a plot. And in case you're wondering, the ending was just something off the top of my head. I needed a way to get Videl chasing Gohan, and that fit the bill. The speculations about the crater, I used as a medium to introduce the reader to some of the properties of my alternate universe. I am putting the rating to T because, while I'm not planning on major violence, I did kill off a lot of main characters. I'm not sure how other people may take that. If I tried to write a lemon, and put into the story, I'm sure I would only lose readers. Thus, I will not write lemons.

Given that this is my first story, I have no idea if my writing is good or bad. Are my ideas too rushed? Does the story flow well? Did I overdo that speculations about the crater? Should I have done Gohan's reaction any different? If you happen to read this and have 3 minutes, please leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2- True History

AN- In the last chapter, there were a few things implied that I will now clarify now.

/The first order of business is the speed that Gohan can fly at. While I stated that he can fly upwards of 2000mph, I'm changing that number. I did some calculations and now I have decided that he will fly at 80,000 miles per hour. I will fix it as soon as I figure out how to. I realize that 80,000 may seem like a big number, but it's really not. My evidence for this will be Pan at the end of DBZ. She was already flying around the earth for fun. The earth has a circumference of roughly 25,000 miles. Goku said that she did it pretty fast. Assuming "pretty fast" is one hour to fly around the earth, she was flying 25,000 miles per hour when she was three. Due to this I believe that it incredibly likely that Gohan can probably fly at speeds far exceeding even 80,000 miles per hour. Don't believe me, then do the math. It's extremely basic and easy.

/The second order of business. While I tried to imply this, I apparently did a bad job at it due to the fact that someone asked. Gohan doesn't have a full time job at capsule corp. It's more of a part time job, or even a hobby that he gets paid for. Given that I have no plans to talk about it again in the story, I will just tell you how it went down… He suggested the KI project to Bulma about six months before the story started. It took a month for her to get everything in order for research and development on the project to get started. That means Gohan has been working part-time at CC for five months. While he would sometimes work 40+ hours a week, he was never promoted to full time. Use whatever reason you want for this. It could have been that Bulma didn't want to hire an eighteen year old as more than an intern. It could have been that she knew that he was going to start school and wouldn't have the time to put in as many hours. It could be that, because he was only working on one project, he didn't qualify as a full time scientist. I. Don't. Care. The end result is the same. He has a part time job, and is going to high school. Hope that answered the question.

/The third order of business. I forgot to account for time zones when I wrote the last chapter. I'm not going to fix that. Force the logic if you have to, but from now on, there will be time zones. Chapter one will remain the same, with everything being in one time zone. I was going to revise the first chapter to account for time zones, but that may just cause more confusion in the long run for anyone who has already read the first chapter.

/The reasons that this story took so long to update are pretty simple. I wrote the second chapter a couple weeks ago, and hated it. It was pretty bad. How bad was it you ask? It was bad enough for me to rewrite the entire plot outline just to get rid of it completely. Chapter one will remain the same as I was pretty vague with most of the details. So, here's chapter two.

/Any times listed are relative to the area. If I say 22:55—437 rolling hill area, it means that in the 437 area it is currently 22:55.

/Also I forgot the disclaimer. I do not own Dragon Ball, or Dragon Ball Z.

What is Lost- History of the Past

* * *

9:30 Monday—439 Mountain area

With the media

"… and we still have no idea how this crater formed." Spoke the female news reporter into the camera "For those of you just joining us. We are currently in the remains of the 439 mountain area. Saturday morning, satellites built by the Capsule Corporation took some startling images."

"These images, now displayed on your screen, show that the entire mountain range was reduced to nothing but a crater spanning the entire area, even going into the surrounding areas."

"As I'm sure you already know, each of the 500 areas spans an area of almost 40,000 square miles. For one to be completely decimated is a completely unprecedented event. As of late, there has been no…" the reporter began, before putting her hand over her ear listening intently to whatever was being said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, a new development has been made. In the center of the crater, there has been a golden ball with four stars unearthed by one of the several science teams in the area. Currently, we have received no implications as to what this development could mean, or if there are any more balls in the area. Here is an image of the ball. If anyone has any information on the purpose of this golden ball, please contact us immediately."

* * *

Meanwhile 12:00, on Fire Mountain

Over the last hour since he left Capsule Corp, Gohan had gone to the home of his only remaining family. The Ox King. He figured that if he were going to find the criminal who had the gall to blow up his home, some advice from one of the most experienced war generals in history would come in handy.

In all of his previous battles, it was against a single super power with a superiority complex. If they weren't blaring their KI across whatever planet the battle took place on, they were advertising the fight on TV. Whoever did this was human, and didn't want to be found. This situation isn't like anything that he has faced before and it almost scares him. While he is on a wild goose chase, there could be more people dying. While there have been no innocent civilians other than the Z fighters killed, who knows when it could begin. When will that line be crossed? Gohan needs advice and he's going to just the man who can give it to him.

In the single week he was at school, he had learned more about his grandfather than he ever expected. Where Gohan had always known his as the kind loving grandfather, the history books remember him very, very differently. It happened only days ago, so Gohan could remember exactly how that day happened down to every last detail.

* * *

_/Flashback_

_9:06 Last Wednesday—Orange Star High- history class_

_It was Gohan's third day of school. When he had come to Orange Star High, it was with the intention of finally experiencing a normal life. That was why he had chosen Orange Star High within Satan City. If Hercule Satan is extraordinary enough in comparison to that town that they rename it after him, it must be one of the most normal places on the planet! If Hercule would have tried to get West City named after him, he would have probably been laughed at and told to go to Capsule Corporation Headquarters for a few minutes and see how long he could take the insanity. _

_In this peaceful city, Gohan believes that he can experience the peaceful life he always wanted. Currently, he was waiting for the history lesson to begin. They were starting a new topic today, and Gohan was excited to learn more about the fascinating history of earth. In his studies, he had only gone over topics based on logic. He could solve almost any high grade math problem. He could build a nuclear bomb if he wanted to. In theory, he could even participate in a brain surgery. Granted the latter of the three has never been tested. _

_He had never learned anything regarding the arts, or history. Isaac Newton he could quote almost instantly. However, if he were asked anything about Van Gogh he would simply look at you with a blank expression. _

"_Greetings and Salutations. Good afternoon and Welcome." the aged Mr. Ruler's voice echoed throughout the room. The students stopping their verbal conversations and giving the teacher part of their divided attention. Gohan noted that even though the teacher seemed to be aware of this, he still continued. "Today, as you already know, we will be moving forward from the American of fifteen hundred years ago. Instead, we will move into much more recent times. Specifically, the great war of 734 just forty years ago."_

"_Before I begin, can someone tell me the seven countries that participated in the war?" Mr. Ruler asked the class. Then saw that no one had raised their hands. He knew that the new kid was smart so he called on him to answer. "Gohan, could you please answer the question?"_

_Gohan wasn't sure what to do. As he had never touched a history book in his life, he had no idea what the answer could possibly be. The world was divided up into over thirty countries, so the chances of getting all of them correct were slim. The only reason that he passed the history and arts section on the entrance exam was by using probabilities to guess the answers. _

"_Uh… y-yes sir." Gohan stuttered out his face flushing a bit before guessing "R-red country, Blue country" 'so far so good Gohan, just keep it up.' Gohan thought to himself seeing that no one had laughed at him yet_

"_Silver country" he said causing a few snickers from the class. 'Drat that must have been wrong.' He thought before continuing. "B-black country" the snickers grew slightly louder._

"_G-green country" the snickers died a little bit._

"_Yellow country" the snickering decreased again_

"_W-west country" he finished and the classroom erupted in laughter. _

"_Damn nerd boy, you suck at history!" Sharpner jabbed at Gohan._

"_Yeah! No kidding! Everyone knows who participated in the Great War! It was only forty years ago, have you been living under a rock or something!" Paper joined in with Sharpner._

"_Well sorry for not having a normal life." Gohan muttered under his breath._

"_All right! That's enough! Settle down, and let's continue on with the lesson!" Mr. Ruler regained control of the class. "Now Gohan you were almost right, but instead of Black Country it was Purple country. West Country wasn't in it, and neither was Silver country. Instead it was the Orange country." The teacher took a breath before continuing. "And the one that I'm the most disappointed in you not getting correct, the Fire country. They're one of the biggest military powers in the world!" the teacher chided. _

"_Huh? But I thought that fire country was peaceful?" Gohan asked confusedly. _

"_What are you on about, boy?!" the teacher asked, "The Fire country has been one of the most hostile countries for the last century!" he exclaimed._

"_Their thirst for battle exceeds even the red ribbon army, who disappeared almost thirty years ago. The Ox king is a greedy man who would start a war just because he felt like it, a war monger like no other. Fire country didn't get to be a super power through politics you know!" the teacher borderline taught/ranted. "I'll bet that as we speak, they're plotting another war just for the fun of it! Just think of what that madman could be planning next! On the battlefield he was known as the devil! Nothing would work on him. We tried using bullets, missiles, artillery! Hell we would have used the fusion warhead on that devil if we had the authorization!" the teacher openly ranted now._

_Gohan was shocked. He had been raised to with a grandfather who always went out of his way to make everyone around him happy. To hear someone talk down about his role model like this was disturbing to say the least. His anger was beginning to surface, but he quickly pushed it away the instant he felt his KI begin to rise. He couldn't lose control here. This was his only shot at a normal life and he refused to lose it to something stupid like this 'calm down Gohan. This is my only shot to having a normal life. I can't do anything that will label me as a freak.' He thought to himself_

"_Yes sir. I apologize for my ignorance." Gohan spoke with sincerity, though his fists were clutched tightly under his desk. His pencil shattered the instant his grandfather had been referred to as greedy. _

_Meanwhile Videl took notes on his actions today to be filed under the 'Weird things about Gohan' folder she kept under her bed. 'Two weeks. It will take two weeks, and I'll have him completely figured out!'_

_/End Flashback_

* * *

A war monger. Battle thirsty. A madman. The devil himself.

Those were some of the terms that had been used to describe the peace loving man.

Now standing outside of the intimidating castle, Gohan was just getting ready to knock when the doors slowly opened and a towering figure clad in standard Ox Army Battle Armor appeared.

"The King has been expecting you." The large man said. "Follow me."

Gohan was at a loss. He had thought that his grandfather disbanded his military years ago. Yet right in front of him was a soldier greeting him at the front door.

Following the soldier through the castle, Gohan couldn't help but notice the serious atmosphere he felt all around him. It wasn't anything like what it was when he had visited as a child. Back then, everything felt carefree and light. Now however, it was thick with the thirst for battle. This is probably what it was like almost forty years ago. During the great wars. While not much was known about them, Tien once mentioned that the casualties accounted for almost the entire generation of KI users. His clan included.

Now however, it seemed that was no longer the case. Gohan extended his KI and felt that everyone in the castle has a power level of over seventy-five. It is also apparent that they have all been trained in KI usage by the lack of fluctuations that he would normally feel in one who had a large KI but didn't have the training. Take Videl, for instance. She has a maximum power level of one hundred seventy five, but because she hasn't had the training to control it she is significantly weaker as if she had a power level of seventeen. Her KI signature also fluctuates wildly with whatever she is doing at the time. When she is fighting, it will spike up to about half its maximum. When she is sitting in class doing nothing, it stays around ten. When she is sitting in class glaring at him, it is at the maximum.

"We are here." The large man he had been following said. It was then that Gohan realized two things. One, they had arrived at the door the throne room. Two, the power level of the man was almost two hundred ninety. 'He must be a high ranking commander' Gohan summarized.

The door was opened, and sitting in the large throne, Gohan saw his grandfather. He seemed different though. For one, his power level was significantly increased from the last time Gohan had seen him. Almost five thousand! Two, he was wearing full body steel armor covered with multiple layers of leather making it a dark brown color.

"Sire! The Prince has arrived!" the large man yelled, getting the Ox kings attention.

"Gohan! I have been expecting you!" the Ox king boomed in a tone Gohan had never heard the giant man use. "You're probably here about what happened to the 439 area. If I'm right, you want me to give you advice on how to smoke out the fiend who did this. That's what you're thinking, correct?"

Gohan was slightly shocked that his grandfather had guessed this just based on the 439 disappearing. Shaking himself out of it, he replied.

"Yes, that is correct. I have learned in my schooling that you have a great history of war. I don't need advice on how to deal with super powered aliens, bio-androids, or space pirates. I have enough experience with those kinds of matters. What I need help with is how to deal with a human enemy. I cannot think of anyone better to ask than you. Can you help me?" He asked.

The Ox king seemed to think about this for a moment before replying. "No. I cannot help you. I already know what weapon was used to destroy the area. There is only one that can do that amount of damage while leaving no trace of what was used."

"If you already know who did it, why aren't you doing anything about it?!" Gohan demanded.

"Who's to say that I'm not doing anything?! I have already gathered my army from their training! You have no idea of what is to come! The next Great War could be upon us!" The Ox king spoke with a deep and powerful voice.

Gohan's reply was instant. "If there is a war coming, tell me what I can do to stop it! Tell me where I can find the people who kill Mom and Goten! Tell me what I can do!" his voice filled the chamber.

The Ox king for his part, was unfazed by Gohan's outburst. "Gohan, just because I can't help you doesn't mean I don't need you." He spoke in an even tone.

Gohan became confused at that remark. "What do you mean? Why can't you help me if you need me?"

"I mean that I can't answer your questions. I need you here too much for that. I will tell you about the weapon that wiped out the 439. In return however, I need you here."

"What is so important about me being here?" Gohan asked.

"There are facts about the Great War that have been lost on recorded history. That was no mistake. We, the Fire Country, did not simply wage needless war as society has come to believe. Every target we attacked contained some part of the truth. We erased history, so that it could not repeat itself. Given that someone used that weapon means that we have failed. We must not have left every stone unturned. Someone found it, and put all of the pieces together."

"What happened forty years ago, that you would have to erase history to keep it from happening again?" Gohan questioned.

"Before I tell you about the war, I have to tell you about the seven great armies. The Yellow Sand Army, The Purple Bird Army, the Green Grass Army, the Fire Ox Army, the Orange Star Army, the Blue Button Army, and lastly… The Red Ribbon Army. These were the armies of the seven nations that existed after the fall of the American era."

"I think I heard something about that during class. Apparently after the American era, those countries were left to pick up the pieces left behind."

"That is correct, but it is a misconception that they were at peace. They were at a constant stalemate each other. Whenever one would advance on another country, the other five would in turn invade the attacker. The wars they waged were enough to change the landscape completely from what it used to be. Before the wars, there were actually two masses of land that were divided up into seven continents. By the time the war came to a conclusion, the landscape looked roughly like what it does today."

"Wasn't the new landscape caused by tectonic plates?" Gohan queried.

"That is what the Fire Country wanted the public to believe. In reality, it would have taken hundreds of thousands of years almost millions to change the landscape to this extent."

"How did these wars end? It must have ended at some point seeing that we have peace today." Gohan said with a thoughtful look.

"In order to stop all of the pain and suffering the wars caused, the seven great armies were given a special task by Kami himself. They were each given a Dragon Balls. The idea was to create a balance in the world while ensuring that no single person could collect the Dragon Balls, and it worked. Instead of focusing on assault, each of the countries fortified their defenses. Walls were raised along every boarder. Anti-air units were packed into nook and cranny they could find. Heavy artillery placements were installed. Some countries even resorted to using orbital missiles to ensure that no other country could get their part of the Dragon. For over two hundred years, there was a constant balance in the world. No country dared to invade another. Doing so would mean certain destruction of the offensive army."

"If these countries were so powerful, how could they crumble?"

"The stalemate held strong for one hundred and fifty years. It ended when the weapon was developed. It was secretly developed in Yellow Country. The weapon consisted of three parts, each being deployed separately. The Dragon Sensor, The Control box, and The Connection Interface." He paused and saw that Gohan was silent. He continued.

"The first component, the Dragon Sensor, worked much like the dragon radar. Its purpose was to track the location of the nearest Dragon Ball. Once deployed, the Sensor would be used to guide the Control and Connection components towards the Dragon Ball. The Connection Interface was used to create a mock connection with the Dragon Ball once it was in range. Once the connection was established, the power within the ball was at the disposal of the weapon. It could then be focused using the Control Box to compress the energy to a microscopic level, before breaking the connection. Once the connection is broken, the energy is no longer has any compression causing it to be released in a massive explosion."

"But don't the seven balls need to be together for any power to be released?" Gohan asked.

"Normally, yes. But that's what the Connection Interface does. It tricks the targeted Dragon Ball into thinking that it has connected to the other six." The Ox King answered.

"There is something else that you should know about the weapon."

"What is it?"

"When Yellow country was testing the weapon, the explosive yield was much less than what they had expected. It was then, that they developed a theory on how the Dragon Balls work. They believe that each star has its own power level. Based on the explosion caused by the one star ball, it was estimated to be around forty eight point seven seven."

"But that would mean that the dragon only has a power level of thirteen hundred forty four!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Yes, they realized this and instead of adding the stars' power levels together, they multiplied them. Based on that, the dragon has a power level 48.77^28."

/ I'm not going to type out that number. It's really long. /

"…that's a big power level."

"Indeed." The ox king agreed. "That theory also means that if the two star ball were to be targeted, the explosive yield would have a power of 48.77^2. The three star ball would have 48.77^3."

"But if that's true, then that means the 439 was attacked with a force of over five million!" Gohan spoke before realizing that "It all makes since. Yamcha must have had the one star ball. Tien the three, and the two star ball must have been on Kame Island!"

"Yes. But that also means that the other three balls are out there somewhere. And they hold more power than any the first four. If it took four stars to destroy an area, what do you think five stars will do?" He paused. "This is why I need you, Gohan. If someone were to try to deploy the weapon, it would mean that the Ox Kingdom would fall. The only solution to end the war once it starts is for there to be a power such as the Ox Kingdom. A Country with a goal not centered on greed, but on peace. Soon the world is going to regain the knowledge of the Dragon Balls' existence. It will be the duty of the Ox Kingdom to make them forget, once again."

"Do you really think it is right to withhold the existence of the Dragon Balls from the World? What gives you the right to decide what the world has knowledge over?" Gohan argued

The Ox King stood from his throne, and turned to walk out of the room. "The Dragon Balls continued existence will only lead to war. It is better for the people to be ignorant than dead."

Gohan looked down to the ground. "I have a lot to think about."

"Very well. But as you are thinking, keep in mind that this is the best shot at finding and punishing whoever used that feral weapon. If you want your revenge, this is the probably the best way to get it. I'll give you two days to decide."

With that, the Ox king finally left the chamber. And Gohan with his thoughts.

* * *

10:00—Just outside of Satan City

Videl was currently sitting in her Jetcopter. It was on auto pilot and heading south to the 439 Area, so she was free to review that she had compiled about the ever elusive Son Gohan.

_Hm. He lives in the 439 Mountain area, which is within the Fire Country. How could he possibly think that the Ox Kingdom was peaceful? Maybe it's because of the heavy isolation the 439 area has. No one ever goes there. And what was with that golden ball on the news? It looked like nothing I've ever seen before. Why would Gohan have something like that in his house? And why was it the only thing to survive the… whatever happened. I guess that should be the real question. Why would someone go out of their way to get rid of an almost unpopulated area, and how did they do it? _She thought as she got a thoughtful look on her face.

"I guess he isn't exactly uninteresting. I mean, he has me trying to figure him out. That has to count for something." She began to voice her thoughts. "Maybe his family has some enemies that want him gone."

"No, that can't be it. He may be interesting, but I can't think of any reason for someone to outright kill him." She spoke, not even considering the possibility that he may have already been killed.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

"I mean, he's too sweet and innocent for anyone to hate him." Not realizing that her communication watch was beeping.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

She started to look through her folder and came across the shattered pencil she had found under his desk on Wednesday. It was weird because it wasn't bent. It was crushed. To crush a pencil would require a lot of strength as you gain almost no leverage against it.

"Now I know he's no weakling, that much was proven when he threw the ball at Mark during the baseball game. Knocked him right off his feet. But even I would have to add a little bit of effort to crush a pencil the way this one was."

*BEEP BEEP BE—the beeping ceased.

"I wonder he wasn't at school today. When I find him, I am going to interrogate him for all he's worth! Who does he think he is! What gives him the right to throw off my schedule!"

"_Please disengage auto pilot. You have arrived at Area 4-3-9. Please disengage auto pilot."_

For the first time during the trip, Videl looked away from her notes. Looking out the window, she gasped in shock. She had completely underestimated the size of the crater.

"Just hearing about it is one thing. This can't be real. How could so much just disappear?!" she spoke/ yelled at the sight of the nothingness that presented itself in front of her.

"GOHAN! DON'T YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME! I WILL FIND YOU! I WILL FIND OUT YOUR SECRETS!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, though her shout was never heard.

* * *

/Well, there's chapter two. What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Want more Videl scenes/ should I tone her down a notch? Tell me your thoughts.


End file.
